Fids are used in many fields for splicing rope such as braided or covered rope. A fid is used to open up strands or portions of rope for splicing. In particular, the fid is used in holding rope open or can be used to allow a splicer to push strands through another section of rope as part of the splicing process.
Many fids are made from wood, bone, aluminum, steel, or plastic material. Conventional fids have a conical shape with a tapered end portion. A fid can be constructed to have a variety of diameters based on the size of the rope being spliced.
In one example, the fid is an aluminum bar with a tapered point front section on one end and a hollow back section at an opposite end with respect to the front section. The front section is used to open up strands of rope using the tapered point. Some of the strands of rope can be laid flat into the hollow back section of the fid so that the fid can be used to pull these strands through another section of rope. Some require a “pusher” to help retain a segment of rope, such as a core portion, and then push the fid through another segment of rope.
In addition to a fid being used in direct contact with the rope, some fids have markings along the fid's body that are used for measuring segments of rope at certain stages in the splicing process. In particular, a fid can be used as a measurement tool for determining points in the rope where actions need to be taken during the splicing process.
There has been a need for a fid capable of holding onto a segment of rope while the fid is threaded through another section of the rope. In one example, the segment of rope is taped onto a back end of the fid to keep it securely in place. Alternatively, fids having the hollow back section can provide a space for the segment of rope to be laid flat within during splicing. However, the hollow back section often requires further taping to secure the rope within the fid. Therefore, this issue has not been adequately addressed or solved.